Automakers are feeling pretty good about 2012 and from what we’ve been able to pry out of them they’re going to be kicking-off 2013 in style by rolling out more than 50 new concept cars and production vehicles at the annual auto show season kickoff we call the North American International Auto Show. That means we’re going to have to take our coverage to the next level so readers far and wide will feel like they’re in the Motor City with us taking notes, snapping pictures and tracking down the best gourmet cappuccino. And we plan to do just that by increasing our video offerings and on-the-spot Twitter reporting. (Follow us @automotvtrnds) Of course we’ll be recapping things each night with all the highlights and stunning photography you crave. Find your way back here Sunday, January 13th as we descend into the madness and get things started with our predictions for North American Car and Truck of the Year.
The Toyota Avalon has been with us for much longer than seems possible. When it debuted as a 1995 model, it was credited with being ‘Toyota’s Buick.’ Whether that was intended as an insult or a compliment depends on how you felt about Buicks at the time, but we’ll speculate those making the assessment weren’t referring to the LT1 V8-powered Roadmaster, but rather the somewhat smaller LeSabre or even the 13-year old Century. In any case, the Avalon has continued to be a plusher, larger, softer variation of the Camry. Like the Camry, the Avalon has remained fairly anonymous. Indeed, its styling was likely created with the intent of being used as a template for the ‘anycars’ used in various automotive supply advertisements. Read more…
The Porsche Boxster has been a sensation since 1997 thanks to a winning formula of mid-engine handling prowess, boxer engine smoothness and timeless good looks. The lowest MSRP among Porsche’s offerings also didn’t hurt. The third generation 2013 model looks to continue all of that while comprehensively altering just about everything. Read more…
It is 3:24 in the morning and I am sitting bolt upright in my bed, awake a whole six minutes before my alarm starts blaring. There is a 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4 parked in the driveway gassed up and washed with clothing and gear for four days. The reason? A Roadtrip! The culmination of a great story, not just the beginning of one. Read more…
By now the vast majority of die hard auto enthusiasts have either stayed up late to catch the midnight showing, or ventured to the theatre at a normal hour to watch Disney Pixar’s Cars 2. Children or no children, we have made viewing this movie a priority. After the delightful tale of Lightning McQueen, Mater, and the gang from Radiator Springs in the 2006 Cars movie, auto enthusiasts were begging for more. Cars 2 proves to take the franchise in a very different direction as our beloved automobiles venture away from Route 66 to exotic locations around the globe. Read more…
If your personal version of suburban bliss includes substantially more than the American average of 1.8 children then the 5-passenger Mercedes ML just isn’t going to cut it. You’ll need the 7-passenger capability of that German Suburban known as the GL. And if every fuel stop along the family vacation route turns into a 45-minute chicken nugget munching, souvenir buying, potty break free-for-all then Mercedes’ latest diesel engine and its 550-mile range is the choice most likely to maintain your sanity. Luckily, there is just such a combination, and the Mercedes GL350 BlueTEC offers the room and range needed to be the perfect family hauler. Read more…
Over the past fifteen years or so, automakers seem to have struggled to develop compelling forward thinking concept cars. Those concepts that were not retro in nature seem to be simply too bizarre to be attractive, or are overly obvious predictions of production models that are just around the corner. We should celebrate, then, the Chevrolet Mi-ray Concept. Read more…
Back in the 1970’s Renault decided to import its smallest car offering in the United States, the Renault 5. To put some modern perspective, that car was within tenths of an inch of the length of the US-spec 2012 FIAT 500. Some marketing folks must have recognized that very few cars in America were sold without actual names, so rather than dub the car ‘5’, Renault decided to give the subcompact car half a name: LeCar. Read more…
We won’t even pretend that we’re serious football fans, but we are serious car fans. And if a major event like the Super Bowl will incite the world’s automakers to create great footage of their latest metal then sign us up! Chevrolet decided they needed to whet our appetite for this Sunday with a brief spot featuring none other than that lovable Camaro known as Bumblebee. Have a watch as our favorite vehicular hero puts the dealership mascot in his place!
